Nets first-round pick compares game to Julius Randle, Draymond Green

Joshua Jefferson was one of college basketball’s most productive players during his senior season at Iowa State. He’ll now look to carry over that impact to the NBA after the Brooklyn Nets selected him at No. 28 in Tuesday’s draft.

The 6-foot-8 forward will have an instant opportunity to carve out a role with the rebuilding Nets. Jefferson feels his versatile skill set shares traits with those of several established NBA players.

“I think there’s a lot of shades of Draymond [Green] and his connectedness on both sides of the floor,” he said of which players he resembles. “Jaylin Williams, the big version from the Thunder, the dirty work that he does. Just the ball skills that any of the big forwards have, like Naz Reid, Julius Randle, Paolo [Banchero], just all those big guards. I think I have a little bit of that. Just a combination of all those things, and a guy that can do everything on the court.”

Joshua Jefferson when asked which NBA players he resembles:

"I think there's a lot of shades of Draymond, his connectedness on both sides of the floor. Jaylin Williams, the dirty work that he does. The ball skills that any of the big forwards have, like Naz Reid, Julius Randle,… pic.twitter.com/H391dswf9J

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) June 24, 2026

Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals on .474/.345/.700 shooting splits this season. He was the nation’s only player to average those marks on such efficiency.

Jefferson’s ball-handling, passing and interior scoring presented matchup problems for opposing defenses.

Joshua Jefferson offers versatile skill set to rebuilding Nets’ frontcourt rotation

He shot 60.7 percent on close twos and posted a 27.7 assist percentage, the highest in the nation among players 6-foot-8 or taller.

Three minutes of Joshua Jefferson dimes for you. pic.twitter.com/SV9FPUrm2k

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) June 25, 2026

The 22-year-old will now step into a Nets forward rotation featuring another talented on-ball creator: Julius Randle. He’s looking forward to learning the tricks of the trade from the three-time All-Star.

“It’s going to be huge for me,” Jefferson said of playing alongside Randle. “I watched a lot of Julius Randle film throughout my senior season. It helped me a lot seeing his mid-post and post-up work. It’s a work of art, in my opinion. I’m just going to use him as a resource to improve my game and then just get a lot of assists off of him.

I really enjoy watching bigger forwards that have a lot of ball skills on the perimeter. [There’s always] something that you can learn from. Just seeing their pace and just the rhythm that they play with is really important for bigger guards to play with, when so many little guards are trying to get up into you and take the ball from you. Just seeing his pace and his physicality when he uses finesse and physicality.”

Joshua Jefferson said he watched a lot of Julius Randle film this season. Feels working with the Nets veteran "will be huge" for him:

"I really enjoy watching bigger forwards that have a lot of ball skills on the perimeter. It's something that you can learn from. Just seeing… pic.twitter.com/AnXSNFRVAZ

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) June 24, 2026

Jefferson possesses several of the traits the Nets have targeted in past drafts. He’s a talented ball-handler for his size, a high-level decision-maker and can guard multiple positions.

However, at 6-foot-8 and 246 pounds, Jefferson offers greater strength and physicality than many of the frontcourt players Brooklyn has targeted under general manager Sean Marks. His three-point shot is also a work in progress, as he converted 31.5 percent on 2.0 attempts per game across four college seasons.

“I think the thing about my game that’s going to translate pretty quickly is my physicality,” Jefferson said. “The NBA is a physical game right now. You have to be physical in the playoffs to win, and that’s what I’m going to bring. And then just continue to work on my shot. Shooting it really well throughout this pre-draft process, a lot of reps. So I think if I continue to do that, it’s going to keep me on the floor. And defending, on both sides.”

Brooklyn’s 2026 draft grade will hinge on the development of No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. However, Marks and co. are confident that they found a contributor in Jefferson later in the draft.

When the Nets acquired Randle in the days before the draft, they made it a priority to move up from No. 33 to No. 28 as part of the deal. They did so with an eye on the Iowa State forward following his impressive senior campaign.

The post Nets first-round pick compares game to Julius Randle, Draymond Green appeared first on ClutchPoints.